Blackstone Restaurant & Brewery is of note, because Blackstone is Nashville's first craft brewery. It opened in 1994 at 1918 West End Avenue where it remains.

We got here as soon as it opened, so it wasn't busy at all. I ordered a Nut Brown Ale, because you can't really go wrong. It was a good, solid beer. Little sweet, easy drinking but with good flavor.

Grade: B

It's Nashville's version of a cronut.

Five Daughters Bakery was at the top of Brittany's to-visit list while I was in Nashville, and I have to admit that I was not particularly thrilled. Not because I don't trust Brittany's choices - I 100% do - but because donuts just aren't really my thing. Pastries in general just don't do it for me.

But this was different.

We walked into Five Daughters Bakery and back toward the donuts they had prepped and ready to go. These fine creations take up to three days to make. Chocolate Sea Salt, Maple Glaze - there were tons that all looked amazing.

The donut is this croissant/donut hybrid. The 100-layer donut is rolled in sugar, filled with cream and topped with an amazing glaze.

I went for the strawberry lemonade. And WOW. Think of taking a donut, making it thin and flaky inside, slathering it with butter, adding a lemon cream among those layers, topping it with a strawberry glaze and sugar. Just amazing.

Don't let the $5 price tag fool you. You won't need more than one. But, it may just be the best $5 you ever spend.

Grade: A

Pancake Pantry - in addition for being known to have Nashville's best pancakes - is notorious for long lines wrapping around the restaurant and out to the street corner. I fully expected no less than an hour wait.

But, when we arrived, I was pleased to see just a couple folks in front of us. We were seated within five minutes. Score! We were seated along the wall - close quarters with the folks nearby.

This restaurant has been around for more than 50 years, making fresh breakfast delights every day. It's not a huge space, and all the tables were just out in an open room. The servers were busy running back and forth and tending to the busy tables - every single one of them full.

The menu has everything from classic pancakes to ones with fruit to potato pancakes to Santa Fe cornmeal pancakes. Plus, if you're a heathen, you could get something that isn't a pancake - like omelettes, hash browns, etc.

So, I went for: Georgia Peach Pancakes Three tender, rolled pancakes each hold a dollop of sweet Georgia peach compote. Topped with more delicious compote, powdered sugar, and whipped cream.

Well, I kept seeing Georgia peaches all over, and this one just sounded good. And, it was. The peaches were juicy, the compote and whipped cream were sweet - but I, of course, still topped it with syrup. These pancakes are thin, but light and just super good. I love the variety at this restaurant, and I'd love to try one of the more unique options next.

Grade: A

Well, I always thought Nashville was lots of folks walking around in cowboy boots, honky tonk music at every corner and boozing.

I was wrong. Obvi.

Most of Nashville is like a nice, midsize city. But they do have one street downtown - Broadway - that is just that. It's a mini Las Vegas strip, filled with (mostly) tourists trying to get Nashville to fit into that ideal they've created for the city. Bright lights, bars with local musicians and lots and lots of cowboy boots. And, the best place to see it all? From the top of Acme Feed & Seed.

Acme Feed & Seed is this odd conglomerate of cocktail bar, restaurant, and skytop lounge all separate by floors. The first floor focuses on that "honky tonk" theme with local musicians and the restaurant. The second floor has a lounge and bar with some shareable menu items. The third-floor is more of an event/music venue. And, the top is the open-air rooftop bar. We mostly visited this for the latter, but I stopped in for the former because food.

As soon as we entered the building, I snagged a menu and ordered some sweet potato fries at the counter. I waited around on the first floor until they were done, and then we went to the top. And, wow, it is a lovely view of the city. I love sweeping city views. It was pretty crowded, and there was some garbage left behind from other folks littered about.

And the sweet potato fries with rooster pepper remoulade was pretty good - I love sweet potato fries, and the remoulade made it feel indulgent. But the view was great.

Grade: B

Everywhere I went in Nashville, I kept seeing references to The Bang Candy Company. Small quartets of handmade marshmallows were sold at shops all across town. I love how Nashville businesses support other Nashville businesses, and since the candy shop was just across town, we decided to check it out.

The shop is quite small (but it's located in this cool lively strip with other shops), with just a few shelves of their various products. They also serve coffee, tea and other drinks and baked goods. I bought a box of marshmallows as a gift, and I got a few out of the case to try for myself.

I ordered Maple Bacon Bourbon, Rose Cardamom, Mango Tamarind and PB&J.

To be honest, these all kind of tasted the same to me. They weren't bad, but the actual flavors weren't totally noticeable. Very faint. And, the chocolate was a dark chocolate.

I think the idea here is pretty cool. I do wish the flavors were a bit more bold. Maybe I picked wrong. Either way, cool concept and branding.


Grade: B

Edley's Bar-B-Que, while specializes in BBQ and a delicious assortment of side dishes, serves up one of the most legendary drinks in Nashville. So, if for that reason alone, I made it a priority to stop. Plus, who am I to turn down BBQ?

Once we entered the 12South location (there are three locations in town), we walked up to the counter to place our order. I went with my classic barometer BBQ selection: a pulled pork sandwich. And, I ordered the mac & cheese and banana pudding as my sides. I mean, if you're giving me the choice between cole slaw and banana pudding for sides ... that's no contest.

So, I tried to order my drink at the food counter, but you have to go to the bar. So, I went to the bar for my Bushwacker. Bushwackers are like coffee, liquor and chocolate had a baby. While they SOUND like they would be amazing, I was not a fan. Are you coffee? Are you liquor? Are you chocolate? Pick a lane, bud. Because my brain is expecting delicious ice cream and my tastebuds are getting whiskey. I'll keep my flavors separated so I can enjoy the simplicity of each. Also, it was just really effing strong, and I wasn't feeling it this night.

So, Brittany was right. The BBQ was dry. But, that's nothing a nice, thick, sweet BBQ sauce can't fix. The sides, however, were bangin. A heaping cup of macaroni & cheese and banana pudding more than made up for the main component of this plate. The mac & cheese was creamy with a touch of breadcrumbs on top. The banana pudding was phenomenal. Overflowing with layers of sweet vanilla custard, bananas and whipped cream.

Overall, delicious (and numerous sides), eh BBQ. And ehhhh to Bushwackers.

Grade: B

Nashville is home to regional specialty "hot chicken," the hot-as-hell fried chicken that I couldn't get enough of. And Prince's Hot Chicken Shack is the originator.

"Prince's Hot Chicken Shack is a restaurant in Nashville, Tennessee, known for its hot chicken. The business was started in 1945 by James Thornton Prince, and in 1980 ownership was passed to his great-niece André Prince Jeffries. While impossible to verify, the development of hot chicken is reportedly accidental. Prince was purportedly a womanizer, and after a particularly late night his girlfriend at the time cooked him a fried chicken breakfast with hot pepper as revenge. Prince, however, liked the taste so much that he and his brothers created their own recipe and opened the Bar-B-Que Chicken Shack. The café was originally located at 28th Ave and Jefferson St, but moved to its Ewing Dr location in 1988."

We traveled to a part of town that wasn't as built up as the other tourist heavy areas that we had been frequenting. It was more quiet, a bit more downtrodden and just a bit slower. We arrived at the strip mall that houses Prince's, and the lot was so full of cars, we couldn't find an open spot in which to park. We ended up parking across the street and (I think) getting yelled at. Oops.

When we walked inside the restaurant, people lined the walls and booths, either eating or waiting for their to-go orders. I wasn't quite sure where to go - scared to cut anybody in line - but someone gently nudged me to the back of the building. I let a few people go ahead of me as I figured out what I wanted. I also noticed at this point that Brittany and I were the only white people in the entire restaurant, and I remembered reading a piece about this place on NPR where whites used to enter through the back door. And then I wondered if I had messed up. I didn't.

A woman peddling desserts set up a table just before the window where you order, and a menu was hung up on that wall. We got drinks out of the vending machine, which was next to photos of people crying from how hot the chicken is, while waiting. It was the first time I had ever seen Peach Minute Maid.

I ended up ordering a single MILD white meat breast quarter (cash only), and I thought we'd have to wait like everyone else. But the lady said there wasn't any sense in us waiting for a single piece, so after a few minutes at the window, she handed over this brown paper bag. We headed out - hoping our car wasn't towed.

I tried to pick at the chicken breast while we were driving back toward Brittany's apartment. I had heard it was gonna be hot, but I didn't even expect this. First off, it was temperature hot. Like, straight outta the kitchen, right from the fryer, hot-on-my-hands hot. Second of all, the spice level is un-freaking-real. I took a small bite and felt a small fire ignite in my throat. The grease grazed my cheek, which started to burn. Mild is no joke, folks. It's really damn hot. It's just the breading, though. The chicken breast meat itself isn't spicy. But, the taste is so good. I don't love crazy hot stuff, but the flavor was still delicious (or I'm just starting to like hot stuff). That paired with the peach Minute Maid to help cool my mouth off made for a really, really good meal. Just prepare for your mouth to never feel the same again.

Grade: A

Everywhere we went around town, we saw these Olive & Sinclair Chocolate Co. bars. While this shop wasn't originally in the plans, once we saw how integrated into the local food culture they were, we made a stop.

They make lots of cool goodies, but the dark chocolate bars in these super cool wrappers are what I kept seeing everywhere. They have the 75% Cacao Southern Artisan Chocolate Bar, 67% Cacao Southern Artisan Chocolate Bar, Mexican Style Chocolate with cinnamon chili, Salt & Pepper Chocolate Bar, Cacao Nib Chocolate Bar, Sea Salt Chocolate Bar, Chocolate Coffee Bar, Buttermilk White Chocolate Bar, and Salt & Pepper Buttermilk White Chocolate Bar.

There were sample dishes near the bars, and the Mexican Chocolate one was interesting. The white chocolate ones were my favorites. I got a present to bring back home.

There were also Duck Fat Caramels (mmmgnhhhh) and Sea Salt & Vinegar Caramels (which I bought a couple of and devoured).

This shop is super cool. They do tours, and this shop even, surprisingly, sells their chocolate in two spots in West Virginia. It's darker chocolate, so if that's your favorite, this would be right up your alley. The caramels were very rich and delicious. But, local, handmade and very cool. Check it out if you're in the area.

On my first attempt to visit Tennessee Brew Works, they were closed for a private event (I discovered after walking inside...and being told 'nah.'). So, my first impression wasn't the best.

We returned the following night to try our luck once again. Makeshift parking nearby was all taken up, and this large building was filled to the brim with people.

I navigated my way through the crowd of people, past the band playing, to the bar to order a "Basil Ryeman," which is a farmhouse ale/saison with thai basil and rye malts. After getting my beer, I snaked my way upstairs to see if it was a) a bit quieter and b) any open place to sit. I finally spotted two empty seats near the end of a long table and made it our home.

This place was BUSY. And very loud. It's less of a tasting room and more of a bar. I tend to go for a bit more of an intimate vibe, so I can learn about the place and the beer. But, it wasn't bad. It wasn't particularly notable, to me. But I was able to leisurely sip on it, enjoying the malt-forward flavor and do a lot of people-watching. Some of which was very, very entertaining. Overall, not bad. Not my favorite. But not bad.